March7, 2008

Washington, DC – Today House Armed Services
Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Ranking Member
Duncan Hunter (R-CA) released the final report of the HASC
Roles and Missions Panel. The Panel was established in 2007
to review the roles and missions of the military
services.

“I want to thank Congressman Cooper,
Congressman Gingrey, and all of the Panel members for the
time and energy they have dedicated to this project.
The roles and missions framework that our military services
follow today was established during the Truman
Administration,” said
Chairman Ike Skelton.

“While that may have been the proper framework
sixty years ago, we must ensure that today’s military
is organized to protect America’s national security in
the face of 21st century threats. This report will help
us begin to consider the many issues related to roles and
missions that must be addressed in the current security
environment.”

“We commend Congressman Gingrey and
Congressman Cooper, as well as all of the members who worked
on the panel, for their thoughtful ideas on roles and
missions within the Department of Defense. The wide
range of views and options offered by the panel will be
helpful to the committee as we continue to review the roles
and missions of the military services,” said
Ranking Member Duncan Hunter.

“This report seeks to provoke thoughtful
public discussion about a vitally important question: how do
we keep America strong and safe in a complex 21st-century
national security environment?”
Rep. Jim Cooper said.

“Unlike many Congressional reports, we have
raised contentious issues and resisted the temptation to find
easy, lowest-common-denominator solutions. My fellow panel
members and I don’t agree with every idea in the Roles
and Missions Panel report, but we believe the questions it
raises must be answered. It’s time to start a
conversation—not just in Washington, but across
America—about rethinking national security.”

“By creating the Select Panel on Roles and
Missions, the House Armed Services Committee has zeroed in on
an area critical to our nation’s defense. Our
discussions over the past six months have allowed us to
analyze a variety of ideas – including some rather
unorthodox ones – on how we can improve efficiencies
not only within our military, but also on how we can
integrate the core competencies of all agencies whose
expertise may be needed to defend America,” said
Rep. Phil Gingrey.

“Chairman Skelton has long been a champion on
the topic of roles and missions, and I know he and Ranking
Member Hunter will continue to push the dialogue as we move
this discussion into the full committee. I commend
Chairman Cooper and the whole bipartisan panel for their hard
work in furthering this discussion and I look forward to
continuing the work to keep our military the greatest in the
world.”